Signal-lamp.



H. T. AUBRY & 0. M. SCHMIDT.

SIGNAL LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 5. 1914.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

' H.T. AUBRY & 0. M. SCHMIDT.

SIGNAL LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED ocns. 1914.

Patented Aug. 31, EH5.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

HARRY T. AUBRY OTTO M. SCHMIDT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SIGNAL-LAMP.

To all whomit may concern: i

Be it known that we, HARRY T. AU'BRY and OTTo M. SCHMIDT, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements 1n .Signal-Lamps, of which the following is a specification. y

. This invention 1131341188110 rear or pilot lamps of automobiles and other motor vehicles, and its object is to provide such a lamp with novel and improved means for signaling vehicles in. the rear which direction the car will turn or whether it is intended to slow down ormake a stop.

The invention also has for its object to .provide an actuating orcontrolling means for thesignal which can be operated without disturbing the. attention of the driver from the operation of the car.

Other objectsand advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the detailed description appearing hereinafter, and in vehicle showing the, application of the in vention; Fig. 2 isan enlarged cross-section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig, 3 is an en-' larged horizontal section on theline 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is'a perspective view of a fragment of the operating means of the signal; Fig. 5 is a face view of the lamp; Fig. 6 is a crossssection on the line (36 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a face View of the shutter associated with the lamp, andFig. 8 is a perspective view showing the burner of an oil lamp which may be used in connection with the invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 1.0 denotes a lamp casing of conventional form having. an opaque circularface 11 carried by a ring 12 which is hinged on one side to the lamp casing, as indicated at 13, and has at the opposite side a suitable catch 14:. The lamp casing also has a. side lens 15 for illuminating the license plate. In the center of the lamp face 11 is a translucent signal portion 16, and above the same is a translw cent signal portion 17. Below the part 16 are two translucent signal portions 18 and 19, respectively, located on opposite sides of the vertical center line of the face. The parts 16 and 17 are colored red, the part 18 Specification ofLetters Patent. i Patented A1103 31 1915 Application filed October 5, 1914. Serial No. 865,097.

is green, and the part 19 is white. These distinctive colored parts are for the purpose of conveying certain information to vehicles to the rear as will be presently described.

Behind the lamp face 11 is mounted a retatable circular shutter 20 for controlling the signaling parts 16, 17, 18 and 19. This shutter is carried by a casing 21 fitting in the lamp casing and conforming to the shape thereof. The shutter is opaque, it being made of sheet metal, and in the center is an opening 22 which registers with the part 16 so that a red light is at all times emitted from the lamp. Off the center of the shutter is also an. opening 23 which is designed to be brought to register with any one of the parts 17, 18 and 19, the spacing of these parts from the center of the lamp face coinciding with the spacing of the opening 23 from the center of the shutter. The side wall of the casing 21 is in skeleton form, the openings 24 thus formed therein being for the purpose of allowing the light from the lamp to shine at all times, irrespective of the position of the shutter, through the lens 15 onto the license plate, and thus light up the same as required by traffic regulations.

The shutter 20 is hinged to the-casing 21 as indicated at 25, and a catch 26 is also provided.

The lamp casing 10 and the casing 21 taper rearward, and the former has welded or otherwise fastened toits rear end a short tubular stem or sleeve 27, flanged where it is connected to the lamp casing, as indicated at 28. In this. stem is rotatably mounted a socket piece 29, the inner end of which is fastened to'the shutter casing 21. The other end of the socket piece projects from the sleeve and is fitted with a sprocket wheel 30.

The socket piece supports the lamp 31, the

same being an ordinary incandescent lamp which is screwed into the socket.

Fig. 8 shows an oil lamp 32 which may be substituted for the incandescent lamp, said lamp 32 having a threaded nipple 33 for connection to the socket piece. An acetylene or other gas lamp may also be used. The lamp casing is provided with an air hood 34 in order that an oil or gas lamp may be used. I

The lamp casingv 10 is' supported by a bracket arm 35 having at'its upper end a split part 36 which is clamped around the stem 27 and fastened by a clamping bolt 37.

The arm 35, extends upward from a horizontal-bracket arm 39 which is secured to the car.

Over the sprocket wheel 30 is trained a short chain 40 having wires 41 or .other suit able flexible connections attached to its ends. These Wires lead to and are made fast to arms 42 extending outward in opposite directions from a controller shaft 43. At the junction of the arms 35 and 39 are guide rollers 44 for the wires 41.

' The shaft 43 is mounted alongside the steering post 45 of the car, the latter carrying bearings 46 for the shaft. To the upper end of the shaft is fitted a crank handle 47 for operating the same, said crank handle being close to the steering wheel 48 so as to be within easy reach of the driver, in order that the signal may be controlled without disturbing his attention from the control of the car. The steering post carries a rack 49 engagable by the crank handle for locking the shaft.

Upon operating the crank handle 47, the

. the opening 23 behind the part 17, a red light is displayed above thecenter light 16, this serving as a warning that the car is about to slow down or come toa stop. The green or the white lights below the center light may be shown by a further rotation of the shutter, the green light emitted.

through the part 18 signifying that the car is about to turn to the left, and the white light emitted through the part 19 signifying that the car is about to turn to the right.

The'invention is readily applicable to the car without any changes in the structure of the latter, and changes in the apparatus may be readily made to adapt the same to different makes of cars.

We claim:

1. A signal lamp comprising a casing having a side display opening and a face provided with a central translucent portion and separate translucent portions off the center,

a rotatable opaque shutter mounted over ing a side display opening and a face provided with a central translucent portion and separate translucent portions off the center, a rotatable opaque shutter mounted :over said face and having a central openingiregistering with the central translucent portion of the lamp face, said shutter also having an opening'off the center and adapted to register with the second-mentioned translucent portions of the lamp face, a support carrying the shutter and located inside the lamp casing, the side of the shutter support having openings to register with the side display opening of the lamp casing, and means for operating the shutter.

3. A signal lamp comprising a casing having a face provided with separate signal portions, a rotary shutter controlling said signal portions, a casing carrying the shutter, a hollow stem fastened to the rear end of the lamp casing, a socket piece rotatably mounted in said stem, to which socket piece the shutter casing is fastened, means for rotating the socket piece to actuate the shutter, and a lamp connected to the socket piece.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY T; AUBRY. OTTO M. SCHMIDT. Witnesses:

MARIE LAUPER,

G. BATGHELOR 

